This I Believe...

For our first unit in our Who Am I class, we were asked to make a podcast based off of the NPR series This I Believe... We studied famous philosophers and the definition of truth, plus memories and famous allegories. We listened to a few of the NPR podcasts to get some inspiration. We also had some Field Experiences to get us motivated for our projects. The FE  I got the most out of was our trip to St. Paul's House, which is a retirement home and rehabilitation center. We were split up and half of us went to speak with the elders, and the other half did a dance and movement class. I was in the dance and movement class. It was very interesting to see how different songs triggered different emotions in these elders who were very dependent on other people. We were asked to go deep back into our memories to find a specific thing we believe in and what experiences made us believe in this. I liked this project. It was very rewarding to go back in my memories to support what I believe. I didn't really learn a lot about myself because I have always known these things that are in my head. I think the hardest part was coming up with a substantial script to fit the time requirement. The most rewarding part as always, is just having it done and having one more action project on my blog.

This is my script:

My name is Claire and I am a freshman at GCE Lab School. In my limited years on this earth, I have been led to believe in many things, some for better and some for worse.

I distinctly remember the winter of 2008, my great grandmother died at the age of 97. I was 7 years old. This was the first time I had been up to Bayfield in the winter since we had moved. Bayfield is a tiny town on the most northern tip of Wisconsin where generations of my family including me, are from. I remember rolling into town late at night coming around the S-turn coming into town, and seeing some of the biggest icicles I had ever seen. I didn’t really understand the funeral, but we went out to explore a property for sale outside of town. I remember the snow being so deep it was up to my little waist. I thought it was magical and something I wanted to last forever. I have always had a fascination with snow, this is when I really realized it was right for me.

I believe that nature has the power to make me happy. Whenever I am in nature, I feel calm. I feel happy. I get inspired for the future. I think about my future home in the woods on a ranch, on an inland lake, running a veterinary clinic, having many animals and a loving husband. It is my idyllic life. This is what motivates me. I don’t like life right now, because of the stress and where I live. But thinking about my future is what motivates me. Knowing if I can just last a few more years, I can move out and study what I want and pursue what I want to. I also feel jealous, I wanted to have a childhood frolicing in the woods, playing in the streams, and swimming the biggest lake in the world. I sometimes resent to my parents for taking me away from that life. But I know I will go back soon.

I think I have always known that I am not a city person. The city provokes anxiety, stress, and dysfunction to me. I hate the sound of cars, the dirty streets, and the smells. When I’m in nature, I’m my best self. It represents opportunity, beauty, and bravery. Like I said, I have always felt this way for as long as I can remember, and I don’t think that will ever change.

This makes me question why I thought that the Northwoods was the right place for me. Truth may change as I or another person changes. Plato and Socrates were known for believing in universal truth, I could vouch for that. Plato said that many different factors influenced a person’s truth, yet truth is universal and are determined right or wrong for different people. He said that no matter where a person is from or what or what ever else is different we will all come to the same truth.

In the end, I will eventually reunite with the woods, maybe not if the Bayfield area,but one thing is for sure, I will spend the rest of my life in the woods. I encourage all of you to think about what kind of environment makes you happy, It can really make a difference in your life.

Natural Gas: A Comparison Around the World

For our first unit of Fuel, we learned all about graphing, calculating slope, Point slope formula, the periodic table, chemistry, and much more. For our first action project we were asked to pick a nonrenewable resource (which we had studied) and make a slideshow comparing the U.S.'s usage to another country's usage. I chose Natural Gas. We had to make a graph showing consumption of our resource and calculate lines and where they intersect. We also had to research the molecular structure and the risks and dangers of using our resource. I really liked this project, I thought it was really nice how it covered all of the topics we learned about in class and tied everything together into one slideshow. I learned a lot about natural gas, of course, but I learned a lot about math. The thing I am most proud of is just finishing it on time, as I have been really overwhelmed lately. The thing I thought was the most challenging was not getting all the math confused with negative signs and just generally getting confused or messed up.

GeoJourney: The Journey

For our final AP in Game changers,(A class about gaming and game design) we were asked to do something that sounded pretty simple, but in my case wasn't. We were told to make a final prototype for our game and create a slideshow and a video about it. I thought this was a very stressful project as we had just finished our other AP merely days before. I thought this would be simple, but I found that time was not on my side. I ran into lots of complications, and busy nights, which resulted in me not being able to do much at home. I thought the most challenging part of this project was the time restraints. I think the most rewarding part was to see my game looking beautiful and finished.

Elevator Pitch: In the game GeoJourney you are a world traveler traveling the world with your companions and testing your knowledge of different countries around the world collecting the country card, obtaining as many as you can along the way. You will encounter obstacles and advantages along the way. You will socialize with your fellow travelers through conversation cards.You win by having the most country cards at the end of the game.

My Reflection: Game Changers has been an amazing experience, I am so glad I took this class. Walking into this course, I knew virtually nothing about game design, it was something I've never studied or even though about studying until I got to GCE. I have always been a big fan of games, and I love art. When I was little I used to like to design and make up games, but I had kind of forgot I used to like to do that, I was definitely excited to be away from the Freshman class, and with a new teacher as well. I thought the design process would be a lot easier than it actually is. I brainstormed an idea for a game for a long time. I decided to go with a geography or travel theme, as I like to travel and I really love geography. I really wanted it to be a really strategic and competitive game, as those are my favorite to play. We got to our first round of playtesting which was a long process and a little tedious, but we all had out first prototypes. I would say I like playtesting. It can be nerve racking, but it is really nice to receive feedback on all your hard work. When the feedback is constructive criticism it definitely helps a lot, since you know know what to do better for your game. Feedback telling you you did great is nice to hear, but in my opinion, there is always something that can be done to make it better. In all, this class was great. I definitely loved playtesting, maybe not ChiTAG, but they were both important. Thank you to my wonderful teacher to make this possible, and I hope to do this again in the future.

Need a Game Recommendation?

In the class Game Changers,we learned all about tabletop games and game testing and design. I learned a lot about this topic. I knew nothing about games or game design when I walked into the class, but I now know all about games, game design, play testing, along with the math skills and art practice for designing out games. For our first Action Project, we were asked to make up a scenario in which a school or a local community service is in need of some games. We then had to make two game recommendations for their situation. To explain the game for them, we created game profiles for each game. The purpose of this assignment was to get us thinking critically about different games and to deeply analyze games that we thought would fit the scenario. I learned a lot about the games I researched a lot about the games as I don’t remember much about them even though they are really simple. and I thought that thinking up scenarios was pretty challenging. I overcame this challenge by brainstorming throughout a long period of time to let my thoughts sit. I am most proud of my original idea and my game recommendations.

Scenario: A pediatrician's Office is looking to purchase a game for their waiting room that kids can play with while they wait for their appointments. Requirements: They need a game that can:

• Be played quickly or repeated multiple times

• Can be played by a small number of people, approximately 1-4 players

• Can’t be too complex because kids might be nervous or distracted but 

• should take their mind off of their worries by being active.

• Should be appropriate for ages 3 - 6

• Needs to be durable.

• Any pieces should be easily replaceable or don’t ruin the game if they get lost.

• The games should be intuitive or quick to learn because they may not have much time waiting.

What I thought of:

• Ringo Flamingo
• Gone Fishin’
• Hungry Hungry Hippos *
• Hi Ho Cherry O
• Loopin Louie
• Rock Em Sock Em Robots
• Alfredo’s Food Fight
• Memory
• Don’t Break the Ice
• Operation
• Crocodile Dentist *
• Elefun

I had a lot of fun thinking up of these games as these were some of my favorite games from when I was a little kid. Out of all these games I thought the best games for the scenario were: Hungry, Hungry Hippos and Crocodile Dentist.

To show the pediatrician the games in detail, I typed up a game stat sheet for each of the games.

Crocodile Dentist

Hungry, Hungry Hippos

There are also strengths and weaknesses to each game Here is a comparison of the two:

Hungry, Hungry Hippos

• Can lose marbles
• Possible choking hazard
• More competitive/More complex and strategic

Crocodile Dentist

• May be scary for young children
• Suspenseful and fun
• No parts to lose or choke on\

Both

        + Active
        + Quick to learn, no complicated rules
        + Can play by yourself if needed
        + Durable
        + No batteries required
        + Quick to play one round
        + Can be played by a wide range of age
        - Isn’t entertaining for a long time

If I had to choose just one I would choose Crocodile Dentist because of its simplicity and fun. The fact that it doesn’t have any parts to get lost or any choking hazard makes it better suited to a pediatrician’s office.

James Shin (2011) roller coasters

        Web: Flickr

        

I am Malala

For our last unit of our MDGs & You class, we were asked to make a slideshow on the Book "I am Malala." We read this book over the summer and then watched a documentary to help us with the presentation. Unit 3 was a short unit because we took too much time in unit 2, so we just got right into the action project. I learned a lot more about Malala through doing this research, and now have a greater understanding for her.I think I could have gone a little faster next time, but it wasn't much of a problem. I thought the time limit and the length of the presentation was a little challenging, but nothing I couldn't handle. I am most proud of how my project looks. I think it looks very nice, and a worked very hard on it, so  am very pleased. This is my final action project of the term and I am happy with all of them that I've done. I am now ready for Halloween, and can breathe easy for final presentations then rest-bit.

 

Weather in the Future

For Unit 3 of our Water class we were asked to make a forecast for a city of our choice as a slide show. In unit 3 we learned all about weather and climate change. We took an FE to the nature museum to visit a small exhibit on weather and climate change, and we also went to the Lincoln Park Conservatory to learn about greenhouses and the greenhouse effect. We learned about clods,and weather, and how storms form. We also skyped with a meteorologist form Florida whom we asked questions to. I chose Minneapolis as my dad had lived there, I was well ahead of this unit so my teacher gave me a different assignment: a presentation to the class on my knowledge of tornadoes. I thought this project was pretty easy to do. The writing itself didn't take a long time, citing the pictures did. The purpose of this assignment was for us to try to use our knowledge of weather patterns and statistics to make predictions, based on averages. I thought this was a fun assignment and I learned a lot about Minneapolis. The most challenging part was getting a picture on each slide. I think the most rewarding part about it is having all my Water class action projects done, so I can move into the elective term easily.

Are Women Treated Equally Around the World?

In our 2nd unit for MDGs we were asked to write and essay on gender equality. We compared the United States and another country of our choice In the unit we learned all about women's rights and gender equality. We watched a documentary called "Miss-Representation" which was really informative. The purpose of this assignment was to make us think and learn about women and cultures in other countries. I learned a lot of statistics, some were very troubling, and some were reassuring. It was challenging to find all this information. I did hours of searching and finding good sources and interesting facts. It was also very hard because I had to hold myself back form writing to much. Our essays were only supposed to be around 600 words long, I realized I was at 650 when I was half way through. There was a lot of editing, and the bibliography took a very long time, but it was all worth it and I am very proud of how it came out.

AnonMoos. (2009) Bisexual Symbol. Web: Wikipedia

                                  Are Women Treated Equally Around the World?

Did you know that in 2015, women working full time in the United States were typically paid just 80% of what men were paid? (AAUW.org) That’s a gap of 20%! Unfortunately, this is the reality for most women in the United States and across the world. Women are considered the “weaker sex” in not just religion but society itself. The United States and Pakistan some very big problems when it comes to gender equality in health care, gender pay gap, and education.

In the United States, women are paid generally less than men for the same exact work. The American Association of University Women reports that the pay gap has barely moved in the past decade. In fact, according to the National Committee on Pay Equity, the pay gap only closed two points between 2004 and 2014 — from 76.6 percent to 78.6 percent. Women are also subject to discrimination in healthcare. Did you know that health insurance will cover Viagra for men but not birth control for women? This means healthcare is much for expensive for women. Did you know that more than 43% of women in the United States said that over 2009-2010 they went without recommended care, skipped seeing doctors when they were sick, or failed to fill prescriptions because of cost. (The Commonwealth Fund: Women’s Health Care Report). Education is one of the lesser of the problems in the United States. Studies have shown that girls are often called on more in classrooms and are generally favored by teachers. 30.7 million women 25 years and older have obtained a bachelor's degree or more in 2010. (United States Census Bureau) These statistics are very promising to obtaining a non-segregated country for women.

Gender equality in Pakistan is a little different. Possibly one of the biggest problems in gender equality is the religious beliefs that women should not be educated. In 2012, UNESCO stated that Pakistan showed the least progress in the region educating low-income girls: “The poorest girls in Pakistan are twice as likely to be out of school as the poorest girls in India, almost three times as likely as the poorest girls in Nepal and around six times as likely as the poorest girls in Bangladesh. (Journalist's Resource) In Pakistan, there is not very good health care. Many infants and mothers die during childbirth. This is getting better, and more mothers and children are surviving due to better trained healthcare professionals. A study published in the New England Journal of Medicine in 2005 that perinatal and maternal deaths decreased significantly when female health workers helped train birth attendants and connected them to formal health services. (World Health Organization.)

Working is also hard for women in Pakistan. This means that women are much less likely to get jobs if they are not educated. In fact, the percentage of female employment in the non-agricultural sector in Pakistan was last measured at 13.2pc in 2013 by the World Bank. (DAWN.com)

The United States are Pakistan are similar in many ways in the issue of gender equality. Women are treated unfairly in both countries. Both in the U.S and Pakistan, there is a growing gender pay gap. This means women get paid less than men for the same work. In the U.S, there are many more job opportunities for jobs than in Pakistan, but unlike the United States, Pakistan has had a women in the highest office, and hopefully, the U.S will too.

Pakistan and the U.S are different in a lot of ways as well. In Pakistan, healthcare is not nearly as available than in in U.S. The problem in the U.S is women not having easy access to birth control, which are arguably not needed for survival. In Pakistan, women have a hard time even has a hard time finding an experienced birth attendant. Education for women in the U.S is excellent, and there is little to no sexism in the education world. In Pakistan, it is believed that a women does not have a right to an education and should stay home to do chores. One of the greatest differences between to two are education. In the U.S more women are enrolled in college than men.

In the end, we have to start really treating women as equals. Women can do that same things as men no matter where they are in the world. This is not a man’s world, this is our world.

Works Cited

"Demographics of Pakistan." Wikipedia. Wikimedia Foundation, Web. 20 Oct. 2016.

"Demography of the United States." Wikipedia. Wikimedia Foundation, Web. 20 Oct. 2016.

Flynn, Caitlin. "5 Wage Gap Statistics That Are Impossible To Argue With." 5 Wage Gap Statistics That Are Impossible To Argue With. Web. 20 Oct. 2016.

Garwood, Paul. "WHO | Pakistan, Afghanistan Look to Women to Improve Health Care." WHO | Pakistan, Afghanistan Look to Women to Improve Health Care. World Health Organization, Web. 20 Oct. 2016.

GDP, By. "The Richest Countries In The World." WorldAtlas. N.p., 19 Sept. 2016. Web. 20 Oct. 2016.

"Global Finance Magazine - The Poorest Countries in the World." Recent GFM Updates RSS. Web. 20 Oct. 2016.

Miller, Kevin. "The Simple Truth about the Gender Pay Gap (Fall 2016)."AAUW: Empowering Women Since 1881. Web. 17 Oct. 2016

"New Women's Health Care Report." - The Commonwealth Fund. The Commonwealth Fund, Web. 17 Oct. 2016.

"Pakistan Population (LIVE)." Pakistan Population (2016). Web. 20 Oct. 2016.

"Population Estimates, July 1, 2015, (V2015)." UNITED STATES QuickFacts from the US Census Bureau. Web. 20 Oct. 2016.

Raphel, Alexandra. "Women, Girls and Malala: Research on Gender and Education in Pakistan, and beyond." Journalists Resource. N.p., 12 May 2015. Web. 20 Oct. 2016.

"Religion in Pakistan." Wikipedia. Wikimedia Foundation, n.d. Web. 20 Oct. 2016

Shah, Rukhsana. "Pakistan’s Growing Gender Gap." DAWN.com, 24 Aug. 2015. Web. 20 Oct. 2016.

US Census Bureau Public Information Office. "Facts for Features: Women's History Month: March 2012 - Facts for Features & Special Editions - Newsroom - U.S. Census Bureau." US Census Bureau Public Information Office. Web. 20 Oct. 2016.

Wormald, Benjamin. "Religious Landscape Study." Pew Research Centers Religion Public Life Project RSS. 11 May 2015. Web. 20 Oct. 2016.